Samuel P. Allen

Samuel P. Allen, 84, passed away peacefully, Saturday, May 7, 2016, at The Grove at Oakleaf Village in Toledo. He was born in Akron, OH on August 19, 1931. Sam did not quit life. He just ran out of time. His relentlessly positive spirit left the rest of us behind to carry on. Those who knew him well might say he was easy going, full of energy, and loved to laugh. Those who knew him best would probably say he was a man of good character, loyal, and well-liked. His life followed the classic American ideal of rising from modest beginnings to become a success. As a boy, Sam began his career as a paper boy, a bicycle mechanic, an athlete, and an above-average student. Despite his prowess as a .300 hitting catcher at Garfield High School, his mother insisted he get a college education. By day he studied journalism at Kent State University and at night he made tires alongside his father at Firestone Tire and Rubber Company in Akron. His ascendance was interrupted by a character-building stint in the U.S. Army stationed in Austria in 1952. It was at this point he began a correspondence with his future wife, Beth Roe of Toledo. Upon completing his time in the service he resumed his climb. He interviewed for a job as a reporter at the Toledo Blade in 1957 where he worked for 12 years, becoming business editor before leaving the paper to join Owens-Illinois public relations in 1969. At the end of 20 years with O-I, Sam accepted an early retirement offer that allowed him to set up his own PR firm, Allen Communications. That kept him busy and active for another 10 years before he finally retired. He and Beth wintered in Naples, FL until 2013. He maintained the worlds longest To-Do List, played tennis daily almost to the end, and loved baseball—rooting for the Detroit Tigers. He coached Little League Baseball and girls softball, founded and refereed the Secor Road Hockey League, planted and tended prodigious vegetable gardens, and planted and re-planted many of Beths flowers and bushes. He was preceded in death by his father Lyman Allen, his mother Vancyneta Held, and his brother Wendell Allen. He is survived by his wife of 58 years, Beth (Roe), son, Michael (Carolyn), daughter Elizabeth (William Sattler), and grandchildren, Cameron, Maddy, and Jim. There will be no visitation and memorial will be private. The family thanks RN Colleen, aide Kathryn Olson at Hospice of Northwest Ohio; Drew, Julie, Kathy and the entire crew at The Grove and Great Lakes Caring.